i have a very old homelite saw that belonged to my grandfather some time ago and he got pissed with the automatic tensioner and pulled it out. the only problem with that is that its quite a process to tension the chain. is it possible to substitute the bolt? maybe its only a few $ part at the right shop? if its the regular type of system that you loosen the bolts that clamp the bar down then you can easily remove the the tensioner and stick the bar in a vice while pulling the saw away to tension it. if its one of the fan dangled contraptions thats totally different like the still system it may be a different prospect.
can you post some pics so we can see whats going on.
regards jay
